Steering-gear for motor-vehicles.



G, R. ROSENBERG.

STEERING GEAR FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FlLED MAR. 13, 1916.

Patented Nov. 7, 1916.

ll TTOR/VEYS GEORGE It. ROSENBERG, OF WHITE CLOUD, MICHIGAN.

STEERING-GEAP FC R :NIOTOR VEHICILES.

i eel-.1 as.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 191G.

Application filed March 13, 1916. Serial No. 83,912.

To all ill/14ml. i may concern lie it known that l. 'ilGORGl. ll.ltosnxnnnc, a citizen of the United States. and a resident of WhiteCloud. in the county of Nowaygo and State of Michigan, have inventedcertain new and useful improvements in fiteeringliear torMotor-Veincles. of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in steering mechanism for vehiclesand more particularly the motor driven'type and has for an object toprovide a device of the character specified so arranged as to reduce theleverage on the. steering post.

.\nother object is to provide a steering mechanism wherein a greaterpower may be applied to the steering wheels with a small leverage on thesteering post.

'l'urther object is to provide a steering device wherein the percentageof throw oi the steering rod may be increased or diminished.

With these. and other objects in view my invention consists in certainnovel features ol"construction. ari angenient and combination ol partsas will be hereii'ia'lter described and pointed out in the specificationand the scope thereof defined by the claims, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings forming a part hereof. in which-- l igure l is atop plan view part1 broken out to show my invention. Fig. 2 is asectional view on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view ofsame. l ig. t is sectional view on line a l oi. Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is asectional side elevation of a modification, Fig. (i is a bottom planview of the modification, Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on line T--7of Fig. i), Fig. 8 is a View showing another form of mounting of thecrank disk. Fig. 9 is a sectional YlOW on line 9-4) of Fig. 8.

In carrying out my invention l have shown it applied to a Fordautomobile, but it is of course obvious that it is susccptil'ile of usewith any type of motor driven vehicle.

In Fig. 1 1 have shown the usual front axle and steering Wheels of thistype of vehicle 1 representing the engine structure broken away to showthe connection between the c ank disk and the axle arms; the usual draglink 3 is connected to the said arms 2 and the. steering rod s isconnected at one end to the said link by a flexible joint 5 and at theopposite end by a flexible joint 6 to the crank disk 7 by a crank pin 8;the crank disk is rigidly attached to the lower end of the steering post9 which passes up through the floor oi the vehicle and has the usualhand wheel at its upper end; suspended from the frame is an annulus 10held stationary by brackets 11 secured to the frame, the crank diskbeing perpendicular to the steering post and the annulus being disposedin the same plane with the disk. The disk 7 has peripheral semi-circulargroove 12 entirely surromuling it and the annulus has a similar groove.13 in its inner edge and in these grooves which together form a.-Cll'Olllar raceway, a circular series oi balls 14- is located the hallscoupling the disk with the annulus and rotatably supporting the disk inthe said annulus. Projecting from the lower face of the disk is thecrank pin 8, which has a'roundcd head to be. secured to one end of therod 1; the crank pin passes through the disk and is held in place by anut 15 which will strike one of the stops 143 secured to the annulus.10: the crank pin it will be noticed, projects from the face of thedisk intermediate the center and its circuml'erenee. and by moving saidpin nearer to the center it will be evident that less leverage on thesteering post will be necessary.

ll desired the ball bearing connection may be omitted and a suitabletongue and groove connection used as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 it beingnecessary however, that the annulus 10 be stationaev and form a supportas well as a guide for the rotatable disk.

By .nsing a disk with the pin within the circumference or between theaxis and eircumfercnce. a greater purchase on the steering rod issecured, that is to say, that slight oscillation only, of the steeringpost is necessary to secure a wide range of movement of the steeringwheels. Thus a greater throw or percentage of throw is obtained inproportion to the distance of the crank pin from I have shown a modifiedform of device wherein the disk is eccentrically mounted at the lowerend of the steering post 17, being rotatably held in a bearing 18 "onthe frame and the annulus or strap 10 surrounds said disk 7* holding thesame in position, both members being perpendicular to the steering post;in this form the annulus moves with the disk when it is turned by thepost and the connecting rod 4; is rigidly secured to the lower face ofthe annulus and passes across" the lower face of the disk, its movementbeing limited by the stop pin 19 projecting from the post 17 or someother suitable point. It will be seen that by this construction when thedisk is turned that the annulus or strap oscillates with it and carryingthe rod 4 will swing the Wheels through their stub axle connections.

The annulus in either form is to be made in two separable parts to admitthe disk and hold it in place and in Figs. 3, 6, and 8 I have shown howthis may be done. The upper portion of the annulus has the ears 20projecting outwardly and they are provided with the cut out portions 21which re ceive the lugs 22 on the lower half of the annulus and themating ears are then bolted together as shown; by this arrangement ofthe lugs and cut out parts, it will be seen that the halves of theannulus cannot move relatively to each other and that therefore thecircular space in which the disk turns will always be true; to take upwear for these parts packing 23 may be applied to or removed frombetween the ears.

I claim 1. The combination with the steering post of a motor vehicle, ofa circular disk rigidly.

secured to the lower end of the post and perpendicular thereto, a crankpin projecting from the lower face of the disk intermediate its axis andits circumference, said disk having an annular peripheral groove, astationary annulus or cage surrounding said disk and perpendicular tothe steering post and having an annular groove in its inner facecomplementary to the peripheral groove of the disk, a circular series ofanti-friction bodies running partly in each of said grooves androtatably supporting the disk Within the annulus, a steering rod havinga flexible connection at one end, with the crank pin and flexiblyconnected; its opposite end with the drag link of the steering gear ofthe vehicle. I

2. The combination with the steering post of a motor vehicle comprisinga drag link, a circular disk rigidly mounted at the lower end of thesteering post and perpendicular thereto, an annulus or cage surroundingthe disk in a coincident plane, said disk rotatably held within theannulus, a stop projecting from the face of the disk and meansconnecting steering post and drag link and controlled by said stopwhereby the oscillation of the steering post will change the angularityof the steering wheels of the ve hicle through the disk and surroundingannulus and such oscillation be limited by the aforesaid stop.

' 3. The combination with the steering post of a motor vehicle includinga drag link, of a circular disk rigidly secured to the lower end of thepost and perpendicular thereto, a crank pin secured to said disk andprojecting from the lower face thereof intermediate its axis andcircumference, a stationary annulusor cage having a circular opening andsurrounding said disk, the periphery of the disk and the annulus havinggrooved cooperation whereby the annulus supports and permits rotation ofthe disk, a steering rod having flexible connection at one end, withsaid crank pin and at its opposite end having flexible connection withthe drag link of the steering gear of the vehicle.

4. The combination with the steering post of a motor vehicle comprisinga drag link, of a circular disk rigidly secured to the lower end of thepost and perpendicular thereto, a crank pin projecting from the lowerface of the disk intermediate its axis and circumference, a projectionon the upper face of the disk, a stationary annulus surrounding saiddisk and rotatably supporting the same, a stop on said annulus adaptedto cooperate with the projection on the upper face of the disk to limitrotation of the disk, a steering rod having flexible connection at oneend with said crank pin and at its opposite end having flexibleconnection With the draglink of the steering gear of the veioo cularopening surrounding said disk and within which said disk is rotatablysupported, said annulus consisting of co6per= ating separable members;means carried by said members and cooperating to preventrclativemovement of the same, a steering rod having flexible connection at oneend with the crank pin and at its opposite end having llexihleconnection with the d'ag I link oi the steering gear-0t the vehicle.

U. The herein ilcsel'ihed steering mechanism for motor whiulr-scomprising a disk munnlwl l0 oscillate en a lixwl neuter. a stopprnjwting l'rnm one hive u'l ni l dish, an nnnnlns slll'l'olllitllllgiSillkl disk, :1 Full mounted for movement norms one face of said disk byoscillation of same and Contact with the stop to limitoseillatiom meansfor oscillating the disk, the free end of the rod having flexibleconnection with the drag link of the steering gear of the vehicle.

GEORGE E. ROSENBERG.

